Misery of the employees of the comatose state-owned cement company, the Mawmluh Cherra Cements Ltd (MCCL) has not ended. Six years on, they continue to wait for the government to fulfill their unmet demands.
The demands of the employees under the banner of the MCCL Employees’ Union include regular salary and pending dues till the plant resumes its normal operation, speedy and normal functioning of the plant with upgradation and voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) or the golden handshake.
Union president, Shanlang Diengdoh at a press conference today urged the government to alleviate the sufferings of the employees, including those who have retired.
He said in 2017, there were 150 employees, whose services ranging between 10-20 years, were covered under the VRS. However, this time the government should offer a golden handshake for employees who joined service a few years back, for them to survive, he added.
The union has also urged all the legislators to offer suggestions during the ongoing autumn session of the assembly, to revive the company.
It may be mentioned that the MCCL issue has been put in the backburner by the State government although there were moves to operationalise the oldest public sector undertaking on a joint venture basis which the employees were not in favour of.
The Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had said that the government could not revive the MCCL despite having invested over Rs 350 crore. Rs 100 crore was infused during the last five years to take care of the salaries and dues of the MCCL and that Rs 11 crore was infused in 2022-23, Rs 30 crore in 2021-22, Rs 6 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 35 crore in 2018-19.
Sangma had said joint venture is part of the three options that the government is examining and the other two are for the government to continue to invest in the MCCL or to close it down.
MCCL is one of the eight State Public Sector Enterprises (SPSEs) that has eroded public wealth. This is as per the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its State Finance Report 2021-22.
The report said that it is a matter of concern and observed that the government needs to either improve the functioning of the SPSEs or take a decision on continuing their operations.
